Chaw Gully Mine
Chaw Gully Mine is a Nocker freehold in the Principality of Cornwall in the Kingdom of Albion on the Isle of the Mighty. It is perhaps the oldest and most famous of all Nocker freeholds. Overview The following information is non-canonical but based on information gleaned from Legendary Dartmoor. Back in the Mythic Age, when the Nockers were still just a young kith, they came to the lands that would one day be called Cornwall and the Challacombe Ridge. In their greed for the tin, but more so the gold, that lay beneath the land, they tore out the very heart of the moorland. Ever since this act of vandalism the deep gully has always been a place of foreboding. The wind howls down through its deep scars and seldom does the sunlight warm its floor. Challacombe, is said to have meant the ‘Valley of Jawbones’ and the name ‘Chaw’ comes from the Devonshire name for a Chough, which is just a local name for the Jackdaw. The area swarms with murders of crows and daws, both real and chimerical and the chimerical ones seem to have an unusual number with the ability to call on the Wyrd and affect the mortal world. It is here that the birds build their nests and sit like sentinels on its rocky sides. As soon as a human approaches they commence their incessant chattering and squawking and should any animal be unfortunate to slip over the steep gully’s sides their bones will be picked clean in days. The entrance to the freehold is deep in the damp, ferny depths of the ravine. History When the Nockers first came to this place, they cut through one of the Sidhe royal roads through the area: a large, sacred, stone avenue on the ridge. It was a point of contention between the two kith for centuries before the Shattering. During the Interregnum, it was one of the few places that maintained some small contact to the Dreaming and the nockers there prospered, continuing to grow and mine and build. With the return of the Sidhe, there have been other pressing matters that have kept contention over the site on the back burner... a sting to the sidhe but something not worth getting involved in again. That could change if events like the disappearance of High King David stir concerns again. Legends say that other than the tin in the area, there was gold. And there was... a lot of it. The nockers kept the true amount only hinted at to keep the dreams alive but rarely allowed mortals to find it. Today, it's mostly chimerical gold in the mines but the nockers here are expert goldsmiths and the treasures found in their halls would make any noble drool. The Guardians The mine has always been known to the tinners as the ‘Roman Mine’ and it is guarded by an ancient Raven chimera. Some say that this bird was the very raven that Noah sent from the ark never to return. The old bird perches on a high crag above the mine and acts as a sentry. Throughout the centuries many greedy men have perished in their quest to find the elusive treasure. On numerous occasions, intrepid miners have been lowered down into the dark, dank shaft. As soon as they started their ascent the old raven would croak and caw a warning from his lookout and those standing above would see a gnarled hand holding a knife appear. It would then slowly start cutting through the fibres of the rope until with a twang it would break and the unfortunate soul suspended below would be sent plummeting to his death. In the morning the broken remains of his body would be found laid out on the heather beside the shaft, the old raven looking menacingly down and the jackdaws cackling and cawing in amusement. The Dartmoor Nockers do not take kindly to trespassers. Sometimes, if it is a still night the sound of their knockings’ or hammerings can be heard as they hew out the precious ores. Occasionally on dark, misty nights the nockers emerge from the dark depths of the mines and wander the moor in search of new mineral bearing lodes, and unfortunate be the mortal that should meet them. While the deaths of miners would lead one to suspect the freehold is Unseelie, it is not. It is neither Seelie nor Unseelie though the majority of the changelings there are Unseelie. That, though, is just par for the kith, and many nockers from all over the world often come here to learn their trade so the numbers of Seelie or Unseelie fluctuate regularly. It would be remiss to label all of the nockers activities as evil as well. Sometimes they will lead the miners to rich lodes of ore by tapping the seams until the tinners reach them. This keeps the dreams of the mine alive. Other times they will start frantically knocking to warn of some imminent danger such as a collapse. But if the mine has such friendly nockers then offerings like the traditional chunks of pasty must be left as a thank-you. Today's nockers aren't actually impressed by the pasty but they find it useful to keep the old beliefs alive. The Jewish Connection The old legends of the nockers that stated they were the ghosts of Jewish miners originated in Cornwall. While the myth itself is obviously ridiculous, there is still a sizable Jewish community in the area and a good number of the local nockers do come from a Jewish background. A Jewish nocker seeking to learn the use of Gematria for mystical purposes or interpreting Torah could likely find a mentor among the denizens of Chaw Gully Mine. References # CTD. Kithbook: Nockers, p. 32. # https://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/chaw_gully.htm Category:Freeholds (CTD)